It's Kinda Complicated

7. You are a lot like Vivi

"Hey Riya, where is the JR merger report I asked you?" Sara's voice pulled me out of my staring match with my laptop screen.

"What?" I barely slept yesterday. I went home and sent Ryan all the information he wanted and since morning I have been working on one of our clients, who are now merging their company with a rival company.

They have been rivals for almost ten years and out of the blue they are merging their companies all smiling and dancing. I was working on how this will affect our ties with the company. I was supposed to submit this report by evening, so being the manic I am, I have been working on this without even having my lunch.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Sara voice reached my ears again and this time I successfully looked away from my screen.

"Yaa I am fine, I am just working on the merger report and I find it all messed up."

"I would help but I am going to meet their COO personally now and if I get something useful, I will let you know," Sara said sitting in front of me.

"Ok, fine. I will do as much as I can today and send you everything I put together by the end of the day."

Sara filled me on few things she knew about the merger and was off to meet the COO.

***************************

Since morning my phone vibrated a few times, indicating a new message but I did not pay much attention to it. I had to get to the bottom of this merger or I was going to go mad. We could potentially be losing a client if we did not come up with something useful. When it almost looked like I was solving the merger mystery and was seeing some pretty good chances of continuing our relationship with them, my phone rang.

I was beaming at my discovery and my eyes were blinded with happiness, so I didn't not bother to check the caller's name and answered it. Before I even got to say hello,

"You said 6, now it is 6:30. I am still waiting in the lobby and the same guard from yesterday is eyeing me like I am here to cause some havoc. Where are you?" came Nick's annoyed voice from the other side of the line.

Oh crap.

Yesterday after I messaged Nick, we discussed a little and today we were supposed to meet at 6 and plan the actual party. I had forgotten all about it and I am still not done with my work.

"I am so so so so sorry Nick. I am still at office but..."

"Don't tell me you forgot" he grumbled.

"How about tomorrow? I will come and meet you at any time. You can decide. I am really sorry but I am still not done with my work."

"But I have been waiting for you". I somehow pictured this 6 feet something tall, muscularly built CEO with his fists closed and stomping his foot on the floor, like a kid, while saying this. And I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Ahem, nothing. Sorry" before I explained more, the line went dead. I stared at my phone and the huffed.

Okay, if he wants to be a jerk and be immature, fine with me.

"You are a mess," came a voice from behind me and I dropped my phone as I shrieked and almost jumped from my chair.

"You scared me. Wait, what are you doing here? How did you get in? You don't even have a visitor pass issued. What connections do you have here? What did you tell the guards? How did they let you in?"

He took in a deep breath and answered all my questions with a very loud "Shut up".

He silently walked up to me and dragged a chair from nearby table and sat a few feet away from me. He was holding his grey coat in one hand and picked up stress ball from my desk with his other hand.